Dingane

Dingane was one of the most famous kings of the Zulu people of South Africa. He was king of the Zulus from 1828 to 1840.

Dingane was born in about 1795. He was the son of King Senzangakhona and the younger half brother of Shaka, another Zulu king. In 1828 Dingane, with the help of some family members, killed Shaka. He then succeeded Shaka as king. Dingane’s kraal, or community, was called Mgungundlovu.

In November 1837 Piet Retief, the leader of a group of European settlers called Voortrekkers, visited Dingane. The Voortrekkers wanted to negotiate with Dingane to own land in Natal. Dingane promised them land if they could return a herd of cattle that had been stolen from him. In February 1838 Retief and his men brought the cattle back to Mgungundlovu. There, however, the Zulus killed the men.

The enraged Voortrekkers fought back. Led by Andries Pretorius, they defeated the Zulus on December 16, 1838, at the Battle of Blood River. This defeat weakened Dingane’s hold on power. Some of his followers joined his brother, Mpande. In 1839 Mpande fought with the Voortrekkers against Dingane. The combined forces defeated Dingane in January 1840. Dingane fled to Eswatini, where he was later killed.

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